Find me
by eicosanoids
Summary: In which the Doctor discovers an organization that sells telepathic slaves and things take a sharp turn for the worse. Enslaved in his own mind, he needs Clara's help. [Warnings: Doctor!Whump, Mind-control, Dubious Consent (mainly due to mind control)]


_A shaky breath escaped him as he tried to fight against the darkness that was encroaching into the deepest recesses of his mind. It was like tendrils trying to dig themselves, planting themselves into every corner of his head. He could feel his control slipping even as his mental facilities fought to keep control. Little whispers of suggestions pierced through his mind and he fought to ignore them. But they were so alluring…_

_But it was getting harder and harder to focus. Harder and harder to stare at the man in front of him –was he always that wide? The Doctor couldn't tell anymore, the whole room was spinning or maybe he was doing the spinning. _

_Rest now…just let it take you._

_It was perhaps, one of the best suggestions he's heard all day. Why struggle anymore? The tendrils were deeply implanted and it felt like there were pieces of it all scattered across his body leaving him feeling weightless. It was a relaxing feeling. _

_Like a marionette. _

**_"Doctor!"_**_ The scream, it sounded familiar. It was a reassuring tone and it felt safe hearing it. The voice was definitely familiar, it sounded like…it sounded like the voice of someone he cared for, very much. _

_Clara? _

* * *

><p>"Maxethia! Greatest place in the universe to acquire all of your technological needs. The brightest engineers, scientists, plumbers, you name it and they're all here," The Doctor announced with a flourish, stepping out of the TARDIS while holding out a hand for his companion to hop out. Clara wasn't as easily impressed by the Doctor's dramatic words, gazing around the landscape sharply.<p>

"Okay, how is this anything different from 21st century Japan?" The streets looked exactly identical, as did the buildings and vehicles that littered them. The only difference was that it wasn't just humans who were walking around, there were aliens abound and it reminded Clara of Akhaten in that regard. There was one that brushed past her that looked remarkably similar to the barking one…

"Architect must have a thing for 21st century or something," The Doctor's voice broke into Clara's thoughts as he gestured for her to follow him. "I didn't come here to show you the architecture. New New Tokyo is much better for that; remind me to take you there sometimes. But Maxethia!" Without waiting for Clara, he turned to head towards the direction of the large tower, his coat flapping dramatically behind him. "Every ten years, there's an expo, MaxExpo that features the best technology of the decade. All across the universe, everyone comes to show off their newest creation and get potential buyers. Best in energy efficiency, best in wow factor, best in-"

"So is it kind of like Stark Expo? Like the one in the movies?" Clara said, catching up to the Doctor's brisk pace. He let out an exasperated sigh before rolling his eyes. "Yes, exactly like that. And if you look closely at the sky, you can see Iron Man zooming in the sky. I'm kidding about the last part," He added hastily when he noticed Clara's eyes light up. "No Iron Mans here. But there's more intriguing things here. Like that for instance," He pointed, gesturing towards a series of floating balls around the entrance of the tower. They were pure white and glowing, bumbling through the air as they circulated around. "Those won the 'Best Aid' in the last decade. Useful stuff, they're basically portable robots. Act as great tour guides too if you set them up right. Or you can turn them into maids, drivers, chefs…"

"I'm sorry? I really can't picture that ball trying to grill a steak," Clara spoke skeptically, staring at one of the balls that started bobbing towards them. It stopped in front of Clara, floating gently up to reach her eye level.

"Try touching it."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Touch it and you'll see," The Doctor promised and Clara hesitantly reached out to poke at the ball. Her eyes widened in surprise when the ball began to glow and expand in size. Arms and legs began to poke out from its side and a face started to form. Eventually, a short boy stood in the place of the ball, staring upwards to the Doctor and Clara.

"Takes the form of something from your memories," The Doctor explained as Clara remained speechless, staring at the boy. "It's a way of making the user feel comfortable with getting help. People aren't happy to receive help from total strangers or robots so the company made these so that you're working with someone familiar. Someone you like, obviously," The Doctor frowned, peering down at the boy. "Although I wasn't expecting him."

"Were you expecting an eyebrow less, bow-tie wearing form?" Clara replied sardonically as the Doctor struggled to make a reply. She squatted down to eye level with the boy, brows furrowing in confusion. "Although to be fair, I've never met someone like him…"

"Well, it's not exactly. Takes pieces from different parts of your memories to create the form. It'll be weird if it was identical to someone you know," The Doctor replied dryly at the exact moment the boy held out his hand.

"Hi! What name would you like to give me?" He said brightly as Clara reached out to shake his hand. Amused, Clara turned back to the Doctor for instructions but the Time Lord merely shrugged his shoulders. It didn't matter.

"How about…Oswald then? Oswald, just like my last name?" Clara decided and the boy –Oswald nodded rapidly.

"Oswald's a brilliant name! Is this your first time at MaxExpo? Would you and your boyfriend require any assistance getting around? I am happy to be your tour guide-"

"No no, you're mistaken, we're not together like that-"

"Her and I? You must be-"

Both the Doctor and Clara paused as they realized they were both trying to defend themselves at the exact same time. Making a grunting noise, the Doctor looked away pointedly, starting to head into the tower. "Get on with the tour then, Oswald!"

The boy shot Clara a cheeky grin before starting off, running quickly to catch up to the Doctor's pace as Clara followed much more slowly behind the duo. That…robot thing, he _knew_. It hadn't been that long since their trip to the Orient Express and she decided very quickly that she wanted to continue her travels with the Doctor. It wasn't the wonders she saw that kept her travelling, no; it was…it was something else. The travelling was nice but more importantly, it was the Doctor that made her want to stay. He was like an addiction she couldn't quit, no matter how much she wanted to. And she decided frankly, it wasn't going to hurt anyone if she kept travelling.

She was lost in her thoughts for a moment before a yell came from the Doctor to hurry up. Pushing the last dredges of her thoughts to the back of her mind, she hurried up to catch up with the two.

* * *

><p>"Over here is the next generation of music players –music that filters directly into your head!" Oswald introduced, pointing towards an exhibit with small ear buds being displayed. Walking closer, Clara picked up one of the samples, placing it into her ears. With a gasp, she turned to the Doctor with wide eyes. "It really-"<p>

"Yes yes, I figured out that it works based on the size of your eyes. They're like dinner plates," The Doctor commented as he inspected the ear buds. He let out a small yawn before explaining "Connects straight into your auditory nerve and sends vibrations into your head. Makes it seem as if the music is coming from inside your head like your thoughts, quite innovative. Must help people who think too much."

An annoyed sigh escaped Clara as she dropped her bud off back on the table. "Look," She said, turning around while crossing her arms to face the Doctor. "Okay so far, you've been commenting on everything we've seen as if you've seen them before. Why are we here if you know exactly what everything is?"

The Doctor tried his best to look sheepish, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, I don't know everything. I just make an educated guess."

"An educated guess that's always right."

"What, do you want me to lie now so that I can be wrong?" The Doctor snapped and for a moment, he hesitated at the words he tossed out. Lying was a touchy subject for the two of them and he quickly noticed the guarded look that passed by Clara's face.

He was about to apologize until Oswald came to save the situation. "Over there are the top contenders for the award of "Best Aid" for the decade," Oswald pointed out towards a hall that many seemed to be eagerly headed towards. "They're called Mind Readers because they have an ability to read someone's mind and figure out what they need. Supposed to come in handy when you forgotten what you're supposed to do. They figure it out for you and do it so if you forget to pay the bills one day or plan a business meeting; they'll do it for you."

Clara was intrigued by Oswald's explanation but the look of wonderment on the Doctor's face caught her attention. "What is it? Is this finally something that the Time Lord has never come across before?" She teased.

The Doctor turned back at Clara, eyes glinting with anticipation. "Might take a few minutes longer to figure out," He admitted before disappearing into the crowd of people, pushing his way towards the front.

Reaching the front after getting some incredibly hateful glares and choice words directed at him, he frowned at the merchandise being displayed.

It was…unsettling. There were a group of robotic aliens, all diverse in their appearances standing in front of the audience on a stage. They familiar but he couldn't place what they were. He made a mental note to check up on what they were later on. They looked quite…life like for robots. But then again, if Oswald was created in the last ten decades than technology surely came a long way from then.

"Any volunteers? Like we said, the only way to know if something works is to try it out for yourself!" The announcer said as she picked a random member of the audience to come up. "Thank you for volunteering! Now, please pick any of these cards," She passed a deck of cards over to the volunteer. "Don't show it to anyone! Just take a look and put it down. Now...did you come here with anyone? Yes –okay, good, don't tell us yet! Our lovely friend here will answer all of these questions for you!"

One of the robots sauntered over to stand in front of the volunteer as the announcer stepped away. It blinked at the volunteer a couple of times before it began to speak. "Your name is Elijah Kerning Jr. You are 34 years of age; your birthday is in four days. You have two brothers, you came here with them and they're standing right there. And in your hand is the 3 of Diamonds –and the King of Hearts because you picked two on purpose."

Dumbfounded, Elijah looked back down at the cards in his hands, sliding it so that the audience can see that there was, in fact two cards in his hands. A murmur of shock swept across the audience before it gave way to applause when the cards were revealed as being correct.

"Thank you, thank you! As thanks for being a volunteer, we will be entering you into a raffle to win one of these incredible Mind Readers!" The announcer ushered him off of the stage before clapping her hands, turning back to the audience with glee. "So that was just a little taste of what MirageCorp's newest creation can do! Reading into your mind, with your permission of course, to see what's needed to be done saves on the work you need to do! Because what better way to serve you than to know exactly what you need? Thank you, thank you and please feel free to browse our merchandise!"

The crowd parted slowly as individuals started heading to other exhibitions which made it easy for Clara to find the Doctor after the presentation was done. "Did you see that?" Clara whispered excitedly, Oswald at her heels. "That was incredible –seriously, it was like a magic trick. Wait," Her excited face turned to confusion when she looked at the Doctor carefully. "You're not impressed. Is it because you can't figure out how they're doing it?"

The Doctor was deep into thought, his eyes more or less focused on the group of Mind Readers that were on the stage. There was something nagging at the back of his head –something different about these particular robots. "It's probably just a magician's trick, you have those on Earth don't you? Magicians who say they can read your mind but really use a couple of cheap tricks? Names and date of births are also easy to find out if there's some sort of guest list for this Expo. Same with who you came to the event with since you're probably with them most of the time," The Doctor explained as a matter-of-factly. But even those explanations, while satisfying, didn't get rid of the unsettling feeling he had. Because it was more than the fact that the Mind Readers were able to get those answers out of them…

It was that they seemed almost too real to be true.

The look on his face didn't go unnoticed by Clara as she frowned. "Something's troubling you. What is it Doctor? Surely it's no big deal….," She hesitated for a moment before glancing around to look at Oswald. "Okay Oswald! Is there something else that's being featured that we might be interested in?"

"Yes, of course! There's a really great invention that ups the nutritional contents of junk food-"

"How about you two go and look around?" The Doctor's voice cut into Oswald's explanation as he glanced back at the Mind Readers. "I've got something to occupy my time. I'll find you when it's time to go, shouldn't be too long now."

He didn't wait for Clara to protest before skipping off, hurrying into the crowds of people and making it difficult for either Clara or Oswald to catch up to him. It was better that she wasn't with him; he had a bad feeling about what he was going to find out.

Maybe it wasn't fair but he'd rather not put her in danger especially after she agreed to continue travelling with him. _"So long as you bring me back safe and on time, everything is great."_

That was one promise he was going to keep.

* * *

><p>"That…ugh, how infuriating can he be?" Clara huffed as she watched him disappear <em>again<em>. Getting left behind, again. Luckily, Oswald seemed to be quick to pick up on her moods as he tugged on her sleeves quickly. "Over there is the nutritional food section I was talking-"

"Sorry Oswald," Clara let out a small sigh as she shook her head. "Sorry, I'm still a bit peeved about the Doctor leaving. Don't think I have the heart to really enjoy looking at food." Although to be honest, it had been quite a while since her last meal…

"We can eat instead?" Oswald suggested instead, cocking his head to one side and looking at Clara closely. As if the robot was trying to decipher what she was thinking. "If you'd like, we can eat and then go search for your boyfr-I mean, your friend. Apologies, my programming makes it difficult to change my initial impressions."

Clara raised an eye at the mistake he made and she glanced back at the direction the Doctor had disappeared in. Well…maybe she'll give him a bit of time to run off on his own. For now, anyways.

"Alright. Where to, Oswald?"

* * *

><p>The psychic paper really helped getting him into the warehouse area where all of the goods were being stored. At least he wasn't a mystery shopper this time around, now he was just an inspector checking to make sure everything was in tip top shape. The Doctor was definitely impressed at what he saw; everything was neatly categorized into the different sections. Each company seemed to have their own unit of the warehouse, alphabetized making it easy to find where he was looking for.<p>

It was also a place for last minute fiddling it seemed, the Doctor peeked through some of the glass doors where engineers and scientists were frantically trying to make last minute additions and works on their products.

Except even as he moved further and further down the halls of the warehouse…he was beginning to give up hope on finding the right door when hhe spotted a small sign that said 'MirageCorp – MOVED'. That wasn't very helpful, he frowned as he stepped through the door.

A completely barren room, it looked like it had never been used before. No traces of dust around even.

Yet he was certain that there had to be a place where they kept all of their Mind Readers. There wasn't any other place at the MaxExpo to store supplies so this was the only place available.

He tapped his foot lightly against the tiled floor. And then again on another. And then on a third. He kept going until there was a small click sound.

A grin broke out across the Doctor's face as he found the right tile, a rumbling noise sounding as a entranceway slowly appeared at the edge of the wall. The dimly lit stairs seemed to lead downwards…somewhere deep where MaxExpo probably wasn't aware of.

"Like any sneaky organization, you always have an underground base," He murmured as he surged through the entranceway and down the stairs.

It was a bit difficult to see where he was going so it was lucky that he carried out a flashlight to light the way. He soon entered a large enclosure and he frowned visibly at the rows of…cages?

Cages and pods, filled with Mind Readers. He took a careful look at one of the cages, seeing one of the Mind Readers sitting in the center of the cage with its eyes closed. Nothing about it seemed robotic, the Doctor frowned as he checked around the cage. It wasn't attached to any power supply –so what was the use of the cage? It didn't make any sense. He shined his light on one of the labels of the cage and his blood ran cold.

No, it boiled. It boiled with a fiery rage of the oncoming storm as he realized just precisely what was enclosed in the cages.

It wasn't highly advanced robotics that somehow gained the ability to guess what someone wanted.

They were _telepaths_. Telepathic beings from all across the galaxies, turned into docile slaves. His brows furrowed angrily, he was more angry than he had ever been in a long time.

Just what-or who could ever do such a thing? And how were they even doing it, how were they able to control them? His eyes quickly tried to scan around the room to find clues to his question when a cough alerted him to another's presence.

"Well well. Looks like a nosy rat stuck its head too deep."

* * *

><p>"What do you think?"<p>

Clara chewed thoughtfully for a moment as she looked at the food she was consuming. It looked like a burger with just the wrong colors. But surprisingly, it tasted a bit like chicken. Swallowing, she gave Oswald an appreciative nod. "It's good, actually. Surprisingly. Not interested in knowing what I just ate but it tastes good." Her annoyance at the Doctor had ebbed slightly perhaps thanks to the food. Having a full stomach really changed her mood and she finished off the last of the burger before giving a smile to Oswald. "Alright, where off to next? Got another show in mind that I might like?"

Oswald frowned for a moment, an expression that seemed out of place on the boy. "Oh, I thought you wanted to wait for your boyfr-friend. Friend. I thought that was the plan. Eat and then find him?"

She did say that, didn't she? Clara smiled sadly as she glanced down at her fingers. She had gotten used to the Doctor jumping into situations without letting her know what he was up to. And completely abandoning her –not that she had to like it. She never liked it, even when he said that he'll come back.

_Because what if he doesn't? _

The mere thought of that was enough to make her sick so she brushed it off, shaking her head. "I'm sure he knows what he's doing. Probably come back and give us an explanation as to how the Mind Readers worked when he does," She said dryly before looking back up to Oswald curiously.

"You keep making that mistake. The boyfriend thing –why? You can call me Clara, you know. And his name is the Doctor, if that makes it any easier."

Oswald tilted his head to one side, processing the new information before giving a small nod. "Okay Clara. And the Doctor. Apologies, my systems are made to adapt to new situations and new information. But I'm one of the older models –version," He squinted slightly. "Version 3.0. The newer models are better at adaptation. I haven't had my upgrade yet, it wasn't deemed necessary for the purposes of this Expo."

Clara was about to probe further but Oswald cut her off. "The two of you seem close. So I deduced that there was something between the two. Am I wrong?"

The blunt way that Oswald asked startled Clara and she blinked a couple of times. "No-no, I mean, he's my friend. He's my closest friend and I trust him." _I trust him with my life_. Except, that wasn't always the case was it?

"Well, it's no big deal really. But I do have to admit that he's been gone for a long time," She added, glancing around the food area. She'd like to go search for him but at the same time, it was going to be next to impossible to pick him out of the crowd. A grey-haired stick insect could easily blend in with the crowd. "But it'll be impossible to find him-"

"I can help you with that!" Oswald smiled, jumping up to his feet. "I have tracking abilities for people who get separated at the Expo. It's not an uncommon occurrence for parents to lose their children here so the Expo mangers installed it as a safety mechanism."

"Aren't you resourceful," Clara murmured before giving a small nod of acknowledgement. "Alright then, Oswald. Let's go find the Doctor."

* * *

><p>The Doctor could make out 3 figures when he turned around to face the direction of the voice. It was hard to see what he was looking at to be honest with the dim lighting but he waved his light across the room to get a closer look.<p>

There was a gangly human-like figure flanked by two towering figures. The creatures looked more like Siluarians, except their flesh seemed a lot more wet and they were more purple than green. Both of them were expressionless but their eyes were locked onto the Doctor.

It was the man that the Doctor concentrated on for the time being. Dressed in a tux, he seemed almost out of place in this cavern. He looked young for some reason though, probably looked about the same age as his previous incarnation. Yet there was a hard look in this man's eyes as he sauntered forward, holding out a hand to shake.

"Where are my manners? I hope you haven't forgotten them. My name is Mira deCleur. And you are…"

Mira deCleur. MiracleCorps. It was suffice to say that he was probably the founder of the organization, the Doctor noted as he took a step forward to accept the hand.

"The Doctor. Just the Doctor," He replied back gruffly, eyes darting to either sides of Mira. He had a good guess as to what they were. Both of them shared the same facial expression as the rest of the Mind Readers he had seen so…

"Now, would you care to tell me what you're doing here? You seem to be a patron," Mira started, tsking gently. "Didn't you know that the Warehouse was off limits?"

"Well, I sort of see rules as more like guidelines. Got quite curious about your _products_ after watching the Mind Readers presentation," The Doctor said, backing away slowly to give a flourish of his hands around the room. "Little did I know that this wasn't just your average robot. But actual, living, _breathing _creatures that you're keeping in captivity." He paused for a moment before raising an eyebrow towards Mira. He didn't think he could despise someone in their very first encounter but here he was. The man standing before him was despicable to the bare roots.

"I'm sure this is against MaxExpo's laws. And the laws of any reasonable planet I can think of."

"Probably," Mira agreed readily before clapping his hands. "I'd rather not let them know, if that's alright with you. But I'm not sure I can trust someone who really doesn't pay attention to the rules…so where does that leave you?"

"Leaves me with no choice," The Doctor frowned sharply. "I used to give out second chances. But not anymore. Especially not for you, Mr. deCleur." A surprised look crossed Mira's face for a fraction of a second before he let out an amused chuckle.

"Okay. I'm sorry but…what could you possibly do to me? I'm not sure if you're aware of your current predicament."

"Well you asked me a question. And I responded," The Doctor snapped back. "It's as simple as that. This…business of yours is going to be closed, very _very _soon."

"And just how do you plan on doing that? You and what army?"

It took the Doctor a moment to realize that he really didn't have a plan in mind. He had the workings of some ideas–maybe he could talk the person out of it; no scratch that- but none that had a high percentage of turning out in his favor. Times like this, he was beginning to regret his decision of trying to tackle a situation alone and without Clara.

"Your guest must be missing you...Clara, is it? What a pretty name, I wonder if she knows where you are," Mira murmured out loud which caught the Doctor by surprise. "Oh, don't look so surprised. You've probably guessed that these two lovely aids of mine, they're Korothians if you're wondering, are very good at letting me know what's going on inside your head. And they're letting me know that you don't exactly have a plan to take me down." A dark smile crossed the man's visage as he added, "So your move, Doctor."

Telepathic psychic link. That was probably how Mira was reading his mind through the Korothians, the Doctor thought with a frown. He should've set up a telepathic block earlier on as a precautionary measure, but at least he started upping his mental defenses. "Nice parlor trick, did they teach you that in nursery school?" He quipped back, taking a step back from the trio and deeper into the rows of cages. He would be further from the exit but he could use the darkness to his advantage and come up with a plan. Somehow.

Of course, the Korothians must have let Mira know about the new wall that stood out in his mind. A frown visibly formed on the man's face as he shook his head, "Well that's…new. You're not an average patron are you? Never had someone attempt to block out the telepathic influences unless…" He paused for a moment as realization dawned on his face. "Unless you are a telepath yourself. Blimey, that's interesting!"

"What's interesting?" The Doctor frowned, not liking the direction of the conversation. But he was almost far enough to dark through the corners and he bet that he could outrun them. Well, he was keeping his hopes up.

"I never met a human who had telepathic abilities…," Mira whistled, "Now isn't that interesting. Well then Doctor, change of plans. I was planning on killing you but I think you're much more valuable to me alive than…dead."

"Well, I'm not so sure I'm a huge fan of your plans," The Doctor retorted, not bothering to correct him about his species. It would be unwise to let Mira know that he wasn't human. It gave him an advantage, if albeit of a small one.

"Don't have to be. Not really expecting you too but…well, oh come on now," Mira let out a long, exasperated sigh. "Really? You can try and run but you're in my domain. How far do you think you'll get away from me? We can talk this through like adults….or not." The Doctor suddenly vanished from his line of sight.

Mira shook his head in annoyance. "Well…alright, if that makes you feel better. But you're not going to get away." The Doctor was surely a prize to be had; letting him go would be a waste. He wasn't going to let this opportunity get away from him, not at all. Slowly, he reached into his coat pocket, taking out a small tablet device and turning it on.

**|ACTIVATE: CAPTURE MODE|**

* * *

><p>It was a good thing that he decided to carry around the invisibility watch with him. Times like this, it was a useful way to get away from a sticky situation. The Doctor dashed through the rows of cages and pods, wincing at the numerous aliens that were kept within the confines. He started to recognize some of them as he zigzagged through the rows. They were all telepathic beings –stolen from their homes probably and forced to become docile slaves to the company.<p>

To Mira deCleur. It was revolting to think about what the man was doing –and the Doctor was determined to put a stop to his plans.

The Doctor took the long way around, circling around the perimeter before returning back to the entranceway. Looking around, he couldn't see either Mira or the two Korothians. With any luck, they were probably searching for him within the maze of cages and pods. Giving him ample time to get out.

Of course, he wasn't expecting to see Clara and Oswald when he reached the top of the stairs. "Clara-Clara, what are you doing here?" He demanded to know. But the voice must have startled her as she jumped almost a few feet in the air. Almost apologetically, he turned off the invisibility and appeared in front of her. That must've shocked Oswald but Clara seemed more than relieved to see him again. But there was no time for a happy reunion. "Sorry –ran into some trouble. We need to get out of here _now_."

Clara opened her mouth as if she wanted to ask about what was going on but closed it promptly. "Right, okay, let's go." She decided, already making her way towards the door, Oswald at her heels. But he…he couldn't follow. Quizzically, Clara turned around to see him rooted in one place.

"Doctor…?"

He couldn't move. He couldn't control his limbs for some reason. It felt as if there was something tightly binding his entire body but he couldn't see what it was that was holding him in place. It was a numbing almost, as he slowly lost feeling in every single part of his body.

_Just relax. _

A suggestion teased its way into his head, along with a sliver of some other thoughts that trailed behind him. Like a snake, slowly making its way through the cracks in his mental defenses and entering into his mind. A small groan escaped him as he closed his eyes, brows furrowing from the pain as he felt the intruding force slowly begin to implant themselves onto different parts of his mind.

_The pain will go away if you accept it. _

_Bloody hell, he wasn't going to be easy._ A shaky breath escaped him as he tried to fight against the darkness that was encroaching into the deepest recesses of his mind. It was like tendrils trying to dig themselves, planting themselves into every corner of his head. He could feel his control slipping even as his mental facilities fought to keep control. Little whispers of suggestions pierced through his mind and he fought to ignore them. But they were so alluring…

But it was getting harder and harder to focus. Harder and harder to stare at the man in front of him –was he always that wide? The Doctor couldn't tell anymore, the whole room was spinning or maybe he was doing the spinning.

_Rest now…just let it take you._

It was perhaps, one of the best suggestions he's heard all day. Why struggle anymore? The tendrils were deeply implanted and it felt like there were pieces of it all scattered across his body leaving him feeling weightless. It was a relaxing feeling.

Like a marionette.

**"Doctor!"** The scream, it sounded familiar. It was a reassuring tone and it felt safe hearing it. The voice was definitely familiar, it sounded like…it sounded like the voice of someone he cared for, very much.

Clara?

He blinked, trying to shake off the haze that surrounded him. He couldn't control his body but he could see what was in front of him more clearly now.

There was Mira standing directly in front of him –since when did the man sneak up on him?- with an amused look on his face. But more importantly, there was Clara gripping him tightly on his sleeves. She looked as if she was trying to pull him away to the door but he wasn't budging. Not at all.

"I'm afraid it's too late," The Doctor heard Mira begin to speak. "I'm sorry, you must be…you must be Clara! He had been thinking about you earlier, but I wasn't able to get any more information about you from him before he blocked it off. But I suppose I'll call it fortunate since it allows me the chance to properly get to meet you. Of course, not for very long." He sounded almost remorseful. "You seem like a nice lady. But we can't have you knowing what we do here. Bad for business, you see."

"What are you doing to him?" Clara demanded to know and Mira let out a small laugh. "Oh…well, he'll make quite the merchandise when I'm through with him…."

Following their conversation was getting harder and harder despite his best efforts. Every so often, the suggestive whispers grew louder in his head. _Move away from her. Come to my side, that's a good boy. The pain will go away if you do. Promise. _

He could feel his legs begin to move towards the direction of the man – no no no it was _the Miracle_ – and he would probably have been by the other's side if it weren't for the combined efforts of Clara and Oswald holding him squarely in place. It must have annoyed the Miracle before another suggestion threaded its way into the Doctor's head.

_They're worthless. Get rid of them for me, pet. _

The suggestion was louder than ever before and it reverberated in his head. They were trying to stop him from moving to the rightful place beside the Miracle. Why shouldn't he get rid of them? A simple snap of the neck to the both of them would solve the problem or maybe he could even dig into their minds and turn them off.

It would be so easy. So so easy. The whispering goaded him on slowly and he turned around, grasping the woman's arm tightly while ignoring the gasp of protest from her. She was rambling about something but he couldn't hear her. She wasn't saying anything important, was she? It didn't seem nowhere near as important as following the Miracle's commands. And the Miracle commanded to get rid of her so…

_Just this once, **let me save you!**_

_Please just... just see me._

_You asked me if you're a good man and the answer is, I don't know. But I think you try to be and I think that's probably the point. _

The voices from his memories startled him and he loosened his grip on her wrist as the flickers of realization crossed his face. The frightened woman –no Clara, how could he had forgotten her? The whispers seemed to have realized that he wasn't under their influences as much and began to grow louder in his head; he could feel more tendrils digging deeper into his mind.

But so long as he focused on Clara (always her, how could he ever forget her), he could maintain some semblance of sanity and resist being converted into a mindless slave. "Clara-" He breathed out with some difficulty but the relief on her face was worth it.

It couldn't last though. No matter how much he clung to the memories of Clara, the tendrils were slowly taking over every last bit of control he had of his body. But he still had time, mere seconds, to keep her safe.

And that was more important than anything else at this very moment. How could he live with himself if she wasn't?

"Be….safe. I….promised." Every word he gritted out was a strenuous task and he forced himself to stagger away from Clara and Oswald. He couldn't, _wouldn't _harm them. A cry of surprise came from the Miracle, this wasn't something he saw every day, and that lead to a sudden burst of pain erupted from behind his eyes. His vision was fading; his eyelids were being forcefully closed by the outside influences.

The last thing he saw was Oswald grabbing Clara's hand and disappearing out of thin air. And then his world went black. And quiet.

The silence was good.

* * *

><p>One moment, she was staring into the pained look on the Doctor's face. It wasn't the sad, almost forlorn looks she caught on his expressions when he wasn't looking. It was an entirely new look that she had never seen on the Doctor's expression….as if he was giving up.<p>

But the next moment, she was staring at the entranceway of the MaxExpo tower.

"Welcome to MaxExpo! We hope you enjoy…"

Her eyes darted around her surroundings rapidly. No, she wasn't hallucinating. She was back at the front entrance with floating balls hovering around her. Oswald was there, holding onto her hand tightly as if his life depended on it.

"How did we –did we just leave the Doctor there with that mad man?" She was about to snap out at Oswald before her anger faltered and she looked at the robot –who seemed just as troubled as she was.

"Apologies. I acted on impulse, you were in a hostile situation and I needed to get you out of there. Emergency teleport, back to the entrance of MaxExpo. I wanted to take you and the Doctor out of harm's way but there was an external force surrounding the Doctor that prevented me from being able to help him as well. "Oswald looked distressed as he ducked his head apologetically towards Clara.

The anger and frustration ebbed away from Clara as she stared at the boy robot, who looked incredibly remorseful for his actions. "No it…it wasn't your fault," Clara shook her head. "Don't apologize. You've already tried to help me so much so…we just have to keep going. Okay, so we know there's something fishy going on with MiracleCorps and their products. There's got to be authorities here at MaxExpo that'll check into what's happening, right? And bring them to justice?"

Oswald nodded. "I sent an urgent message to the law enforcement of Maxethia about the possibility . They're on the case. We can…go back once they're on site? To find the Doctor again? I don't have the means of protecting you so I'm obligated to keep you in a safe environment."

Clara grimaced. She wanted to be back there, with the Doctor. And set straight that Mira person who seemed almost too gleeful with whatever he was doing to the Doctor. She didn't completely understand what was going on but from the looks of it, he was doing something to the Doctor's mind. It was probably the same thing that he did to the Mind Readers to turn them into robotic slaves. The thought of it made her stomach turn and every second the Doctor spent with that man was making her more and more worried.

"I just can't stand here doing nothing, Oswald," Clara admitted, shaking her head at Oswald. "I won't leave him. Not after I've seen what happened to him –how could I not try and do something? It's okay if you're unable to help, you've already done a lot," She added hastily, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I think I can manage on my own."

She could always go back to the TARDIS maybe, to where it was being parked. Get something to help her? Maybe a sonic screwdriver would be useful if there was a spare lying around…or any gadgets that the Doctor created out of the blue. While she was lost in her thoughts, Oswald placed a gentle hand on top of her's.

"No, Miss Clara," He responded quietly, "I….understand your sentiments. Alright, I will accept responsibility for your life. "Oswald shot her a weak smile, "Then let's head back and see what's going on."

Clara blinked in surprise at his acceptance to her words and she furrowed her brows, shaking her head, "I don't want you to get into any trouble-"

"I already got into trouble taking you to find the Doctor in the first place," Oswald pointed out. "Patrons aren't allowed in the warehouse area."

"Then why did you do it?"

Oswald inclined his head to one side. "Because…because it seemed important to you. To find the Doctor. He's important to you. Isn't he?"

Clara blinked at the question posed at her and she nodded her head slowly. "Yes, of course he is. He's my friend."

"You care more about him than as a friend," Oswald replied. A beat. "And when it comes to the really important things, why wouldn't I break the rules?"

A sad smile flashed across Clara's face as she shook her head. What could she hope to say in response to those words?

"You know Oswald, sometimes you're more human than certain people I know," She said. A bashful look crossed Oswald's expression as he ducked his head, the tips of his ears tinged pink in embarrassment.

"Right then," Clara announced. "Shall we?" She asked, holding out a hand for Oswald who grasped it readily.

"Let's go find the Doctor."

* * *

><p>There was nothing but screams. His senses failed him; the world around him was nothing more than just an endless sea of blackness. He couldn't smell or even feel anything –it was as if he was floating in thin air even.<p>

But he could still hear. Threads of different voices echoed into his head and he winced sharply at the pain of the millions and millions of voices and thoughts that streamed into his head. It was as if he was sharing a space with thousands of other minds. As much as he wanted to scream from the pain, the Doctor felt frozen in place. He couldn't move at all, he couldn't even twitch his finger or open his eyes if he wanted to.

If he was screaming, he was sharing in the screams of the thousands that were echoing in his head. But he was silent from the outside. It was as if he was detached from reality; that he was trapped in the endless sea of thoughts and minds of all of the other telepaths. Everyone was in pain. Everyone was wrenched out of their physical bodies and trapped in the bodice of darkness.

And then it stopped, all of a sudden. The rush of thoughts and voices seem to dissipate just as quickly as they appeared and feeling slowly began to rush into his limbs and he let out a shaky breath of relief, collapsing onto his knees from the mental strain. His eyes had been closed earlier but he forcefully blinked them open, trying to gauge his surroundings.

He wasn't in the room anymore –but nor was he in the underground facility of MiraCorps. He was in a small room that had absolutely nothing –except for one small object in the center. A collar of some sort, the Doctor frowned. He wasn't going to touch that anytime soon. Focusing his attention elsewhere, he tried to see if there was any way out of the room. No entranceway –or at least no visible ones from what he could see. Squinting against the bright light, the Doctor picked himself up from his feet and paced around the room, hoping to find something, _anything_, that could give him an idea of where he was now.

He didn't have to wait long before a screen projected across from him and the face of Mira deCleur appeared. "Wake-y Wake-y!" The man chirped. "Are you awake, Doctor? Well, you should be, I took you from the Resting State. Did you enjoy your experience there?"

"It was terrible, had poor reception and there were no good meals. I'd like to file a complaint to the manager," The Doctor spat out, staring defiantly at Mira. Mira let out a hearty laugh in response, a laugh that the Doctor wished he could wipe from the man's face. It was worse than Robin Hood's even.

"You never cease to make me smile," Mira replied back. "You know, you're quite the catch, aren't you Doctor? I tested your telepathic abilities earlier when you were in that State, did you know that you ranked number 1 in all of my subjects?"

"Incredible, I hope I get an award for that."

"Oh you definitely will!" Mira continued as he leaned forward towards the screen. "And your abilities are quite advanced from what I've seen. Mental blockades, transfer of telepathic energies to some extent –really, I've never met anyone like you before." He paused for a moment before continuing, eyes glinting darkly. The look on the man's face made the Doctor's blood ran cold as Mira continued, "But of course I never would have met a species like you before. Not until I ran some tests and interestingly enough…it turns out that I've caught myself a Time Lord."

This was bad. But the situation was already bad enough. Grimacing, the Doctor gave a shrug of his shoulders, "Yes yes. You've captured one of the most pretentious and egoistic species there is. So where's my reward?"

Mira seemed almost too eager to respond. "It's quite simple. Congratulations, you'll never be on the market!"

"Good to know that I'm too valuable for that," The Doctor said dryly but he felt a trickle of a thought slowly move inside his mind. _No, not again_. He gritted his teeth as he felt the first wave of suggestions sweep through him, just like earlier.

"Instead of being on the market, you'll be my own personal aid. I daresay your knowledge of time travel and abilities will be…incredibly beneficial in expanding my business. Perhaps we can even be partners to some extent!"

"I….would rather die than to help you," The Doctor hissed but his words were slowly losing their impact. The Time Lord hovered shakily, trying to keep his footing and maintain his balance but it was one thing to focus on staying upright and another to try and block out the influences that were threatening to submerge him under again. But the thoughts were slowly weighing him down and the suggestive whispers grew louder and louder in his mind.

_Just give it up. It'll be easier on you if you let it go. There's no reason to keep resisting, there's nothing to gain from it._

**_Shut up. _**The Doctor wanted to scream out against the voice but he found his voice completely gone. But he wasn't going to go down without fighting. Despite the difficulty, he began to build the same barriers to protect his mind from the influences. It was difficult and the walls were flimsy but…the whispers grew softer as he continued to build them.

"And don't think of trying to escape. Thanks to you and your meddling friends I had to take my business elsewhere," Mira sighed as he watched the Doctor struggle. Almost bored, he turned up the dial of the device in his hand to increase the strength of the implant. It was quite lucky that the Doctor had been distracted by his friends earlier back in the warehouse to notice that he had been shot with a neuro-implant that rested near the base of his neck. It was how he was able to control the minds (and bodies) of all of his creations. Some needed more suggestion and some needed less. The Doctor needed a fair bit to keep him under his influences. He had been forced to keep the Doctor in the Resting State for a decent period of time to insert additional implants. It was an incredibly high dose of suggestion but it seemed necessary to keep the Time Lord under his control.

_What is the point? You have nothing now and maybe that's a good thing. You've got the blood of millions on your hands and you've lost so many friends. So many people have died in your name. Perhaps it's time that you stop making the impossible choices and let someone else take control. _

**_I…_**

_Don't lie to me; I'm in your mind. I can tell that you crave peace more than anything else. And you'll receive it if you surrender to me. And don't you want peace? Don't you want peace for the people you care about? For Clara? If you go back to her, you'll only risk her life. And her safety. If you're gone, far far away….you can't hurt her. Isn't she important to you?_

The Doctor let out a choked breath as the thoughts slowly pierced through the weak defenses he tried to pull up. It sounded so reasonable. He could take a break, he deserved it, didn't he? He had saved the universe so many times and he had played a hand in its destruction as well.

And more importantly, if he was gone…Clara would be safe. And wasn't that the promise he made to her?

_See? You're beginning to see the truth. I'm so proud of you. Come on then, what are you waiting for? Peace is just a breath away if you let yourself go. Take the collar and put it on. You'll be free from this room and absolved of any and every responsibility. _

_And best of all, you won't be able to hurt anyone else ever again. Especially not her. Surrender to me. Come to my side, my pet. _

And almost instantaneously, the voices disappeared and the Doctor found his mind returning back to himself. Except he didn't feel victorious. Hesitation flickered across his eyes as he focused his attention at the metallic collar that rested on the ground.

Maybe it was time for the Doctor to disappear. It would be in the name of peace and sanity for everyone –for the ones he would fail to save and for the ones he would destroy by remaining.

And if he could protect Clara in any way…

Without the influences, without the whispers, he walked over to the center of the room before picking up the collar. His hands trembled when he held up the collar to attach it around his neck. There was something nagging at him –telling him that it was a mistake. That there was something awfully suspicious about the situation but…

He ignored it and clipped the collar around his neck without a word. Instantly, he was teleported out of the room and in a different location –the same one that _the Miracle_ was sitting in. The sight of the other man allowed a wide smile to spread across the Doctor's face as he walked over, kneeling in front of the man.

When the Miracle reached out to place a hand against his cheeks almost as a test, the Doctor closed his eyes voluntarily and leaned into the hand.

This was safe. Here, he wouldn't be hurting anyone. And being here, in his rightful place, he wouldn't hurt Clara.

He was content.

* * *

><p>She never felt as hopeless as she did now when she stared, dumbfounded into the empty room. There were no traces of MirageCorps in this room. Whatever hidden doorways the authorities have found were completely empty. It was as if the entire place had been uprooted from its home.<p>

Perhaps Oswald could sense her distressed state because the boy gave her an awkward pat on the back. But even that wasn't enough to calm her as she began to pace the room.

No, she wasn't giving up yet. The Doctor would never give up on her so she wouldn't do the same. There had to be some way that she could find him again. There had to be, he couldn't have just…disappeared.

She didn't want him to be gone, not when they just started piecing together their relationship. Clara shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts for a moment before she glanced back at Oswald. "Could you…could you do the thing? The thing where you track down the Doctor? You can do that right, can't you Oswald?"

The boy's apologetic smile made her heart stop as he gave her a shake of his head. "Only if…they're on the premise. That's as far as my tracking abilities go."

Futility gripped her heart as she tried to blink back the tears that were threatening to escape. There had to be another way.

"Although…we could try something," Oswald began slowly. "If there was a way to upgrade my systems, my tracking range should increase as well. But I don't know how that's going to-"

"The TARDIS," Clara spoke up with a start, snapping her fingers. "We can…I can navigate the TARDIS telepathic circuit. Which means that you should be able to as well. And there's bound to be something on the TARDIS to improve your systems. Can you find something if I take you there?" She waited, with bated breath for his answer. _Please please please…_

Oswald gave her a long, hard look before giving a small nod of acknowledgement.

It wasn't much but every small victory was worthwhile. "Okay," She decided, taking charge once more. "We've got a plan."

* * *

><p>The Doctor was relaxed. More than he's ever been relaxed. He found the routine of the everyday to be relaxing –although he never would have imagined he would have enjoyed the routine as much as he did now. He thought he didn't like them, but maybe he was wrong.<p>

Wake up, carry out tasks that the Miracle instructed him to do for the day, eat, and sleep. And repeat. Time seemed to pass by in a blur and he lost track of how much time really did pass. It was hard to keep track with the voices that murmured into his head. The Miracle had suggested that he kept honing his telepathic abilities so that he was aware of his surroundings. And to report to the Miracle whatever he's heard –which was quite reasonable. There were many investors and other dealers that weren't the most trustworthy partners so the Doctor felt that it was his duty to ensure that the Miracle wasn't cheated out of his wealth. Of course, that meant he was sharing his mind with at least a good dozen or so individuals per day but he found that it was okay. He had plenty of room.

And he was also frequently sharing his thoughts with the Miracle. His knowledge of time travel seemed to excite the Miracle so the Doctor was more than happy to offer as much help and advice as he could. It would've been better if there was a TARDIS but –it was back on Maxethia. And with the authorities possibly hounding every corner of the area, it would be difficult to go back and get it at this point in time.

_Later,_ the Miracle promised with a gentle smile. _We'll travel later. You're doing well right now, pet. It's okay._

It seemed so easy; he wondered how his life before this could ever have compared.

Except the nights. Some nights when he was placed back in the Resting State (to rest up, the Miracle explained), he found every scrap of peace and tranquility escape him. Those were the worst times, when he felt more or less trapped. A complete puppet to a madman with nowhere to go.

The sense of loss, the loss of his autonomy and control and _himself _was enough to send him off the rails and begin screaming inside his mind. Whatever pieces of dignity remained was unimportant, he had nothing. And he was afraid, more than he's ever been. The fear of losing who he was grew steadily, each time he entered the Resting State. It felt like a losing battle. A battle that couldn't be won no matter how much he fought against the whispers and the shadows that slowly engulfed him. Except-

_You're always going to be afraid, even if you learn to hide it. Fear is like a companion. A constant companion, always there. But that's okay, because fear can bring us together._

Echoes of words and flashes of his companion –ClaraClaraClaraClarawhereareyou- kept him sane if only albeit. It was the only thing that helped in times of utter helplessness when there was nothing out there but the whispers encouraging him to let go.

But he couldn't, he just _couldn't_. Couldn't just give up right now if only for her. His impossible girl –she would never forgive him if he just quit right now. Running away in the face of danger and evil wasn't something he did and that was what he _showed_ her too.

It was only the thought of her that kept him sane in times like this. That perhaps, there was a glimmer of hope despite the futility of his situation.

_Clara. Please…_

..

..

And then he woke up.

The haziness of the Resting State slowly began to ebb from his mind. Glancing upwards, he noticed the Miracle standing with a few syringes in his hand before the man slowly began walking away. Perhaps he had more important matters to attend.

And so did he, the Doctor remembered as he sat up from his place on the bed.

_Who was Clara?_ The Doctor wondered for a half of a second as he walked out of the room.

* * *

><p>"You and the Doctor are fairly close aren't you?" Oswald questioned as he fiddled with an array of machinery inside the TARDIS. Clara let him be, it seemed as if he knew what he was doing. She was content to just sit and wait so his question shocked her just a bit.<p>

"Well…yes. We've been travelling together for a while now," Clara replied back before narrowing her eyes. "You ask a lot. About the Doctor and I. Why?" For a robot, he seemed to care a lot about another's relationship…

Oswald gave her a sheepish smile as he looked up from his work. "It's because I get confused sometimes. Apologies, I keep thinking that you two have something special. It's…not that I have difficulties adapting because of my programming. That's part of it, but my programming makes it difficult to lie. I can see things, as a robot that you aren't aware of. Your heart rate picks up whenever you're near him –so does his. And when you look at each other, you don't blink away. You automatically sync in your pace when you're walking too," He paused in his rattling as he noticed Clara's cheek flushing. "And he's always watching you. Especially when you're not looking. All of these are signs that there's more than just friendship that's happening between the two of you. Even if neither of you realize it yet. I can see those signs and see that it's important. But it wasn't my place to tell you," He admitted.

"It's your decision. Yours and the Doctor's."

Clara drummed her fingers against the console, not meeting Oswald's eyes. He was telling the truth even if she tried so very hard to deny it. But it was an impossible feat to say that you didn't love someone when you truly did. She loved Danny, she cared so much for him –that's for sure but…

But the Doctor was addiction, pure and simple. The thrill of being with the Doctor beat anything she could ever hope to experience in a normal, everyday life. The mundane lifestyle she led was changed completely on the first time she stepped foot into the TARDIS.

And she didn't want to stop. How can she?

_Shut up and show me some planets. (Shut up and kiss me now)_

But maybe it wasn't just the wonders she saw that made her change her mind.

Or maybe what she had always been searching for had been next to her, right from the very start.

* * *

><p>"You seem lost in your thoughts," The Miracle commented, causing the Doctor to turn his head to face him. They were both seated at a table, quite a fancy one, waiting for the arrival of a potential buyer. The Miracle was readily digging into his meal while the Doctor had merely taken nibbles of his food.<p>

The Doctor furrowed his brows for a moment before responding. "Just some images in my head. They're a bit distracting sometimes." Flashes of images weaved their way into his mind; of being on different worlds and different enemies and friends and…

All with the same woman. But he couldn't place just exactly who she was. Her name evaded him no matter how much he tried to figure out what she meant to him. Except he could never hold the train of thought for very long before there was something else that needed his attention. There was always something to be done.

"Nothing important," The Doctor shrugged his shoulders as he took another bite of his meal. "I can still do my job." That seemed to please the Miracle as he lifted his glass to the Doctor. "Never doubted that you could. Maybe you've just been working too hard. How about I give you some time in the Resting State to relax for a bit?"

Inwardly, the Doctor grimaced. He never liked being there. He could never fully remember what happened when he was in that state but he always woke up with an unsettled feeling. But he kept a smile on his face, lifting his own glass to clink against the Miracle's. "Sounds like an excellent idea," He murmured as he took a drink.

The Miracle laughed. "This will be our last meeting for a while. Cheers to the last hurrah, hm?"

Flashes of a short, brown-haired woman flickered into his mind for a moment. Music. Some sort of jazz. A train? A corridor. Except, the Doctor didn't have time to delve into the thought any further as their guests entered the room and their thoughts slowly entered his own mind, blocking out any of his own.

Dropping his glass back onto the table, he cleansed his mind of any distractions before turning to face the new buyers.

* * *

><p>Oswald was a miracle. Somehow or the other, the robot had managed to both increase his tracking range and connect himself onto the TARDIS telepathic network. Luckily enough, the TARDIS seemed to be quite a fan of the young robot, perhaps they shared many similarities. Or maybe she was just as eager to find the Doctor as the two of them.<p>

The humming of the TARDIS stopped finally, and she glanced at Oswald who had removed his hands from the matrix. "Think we're at the right place," Oswald explained, scrunching up his face. "The range isn't the best but we can probably find him."

Clara nodded. "We're still closer than we would be if we were back there." She was about to head out of the TARDIS –every fiber of her being suggested that she should until a whirling sound came from the console and she peered closer at where the noise came from.

A freshly made sonic popped out of the console and she smiled, grabbing it and pocketing it. "Thanks," She murmured quietly, pressing a hand against the console, patting it slightly. It seemed like even the TARDIS knew when she needed help. When she needed to help the Doctor.

When the pair stepped out of the TARDIS, Clara frowned at the sight that she was greeted to. They weren't on another planet –that's for sure. They were in a small compartment; almost like one you would find in a vehicular transport. Cargo lined the room, boxes upon boxes covering the room.

There was a small window that she peeked through to the side of the TARDIS and Clara widened her eyes at the sight before her. The vastness of space greeted her as stars twinkled in the distance. Okay, so they weren't on a planet. They were on a…

"Spaceship. Figured," Oswald spoke out loud as he followed behind Clara. "Okay, this makes it easier to find the Doctor. He shouldn't be too far then, this way!" He called, leading the way out of the doors of the room.

The hallway was eerie silent. But what was even more bizarre about it was the glass pods that lined the hallway. They were lined with aliens of all species, locked in a sort of stasis within the pods. Clara grimaced as she passed through a few. Must be the 'products' of the company. It was sickening to pass by them and it only worried her even further about what happened to the Doctor. Was he in one of them?

"Being out here in the open gives me the creeps," Clara murmured, eyes darting back and forth between the Mind Readers and Oswald. "It's like…they can read your mind right? Our presence here will probably get noticed readily." Her eyes flitted to the sonic in her hands as she rolled it within her fingers.

Wasn't there a setting…? Ah right. Turning the dials on the screwdriver, she flicked the device on, the buzzing noise echoing within the room. The noise got Oswald's attention as he stared at her with incredulity in his eyes. "It's a thing," Clara rushed to defend herself. "It can hide us from their thoughts. Just in case they're listening." Just to be on the safe side. It seemed as if Oswald wanted to ask more questions but decided against it, preferring to turn the corner to head in a different direction.

"He's in there, the signal's stronger over in that area," Oswald pointed out as they reached a doorway. It was different from the others they've seen, this one seemed to almost blend with the white walls. It didn't look like there was any way to open it, Clara furrowed her brows as she leaned forward, placing her hand against the wall.

_"Shhhhhhh. Just relax now. You're in safe hands." _

She jumped away at the voice, startled. The voice wasn't the Doctor's…it sounded more sinister.

_"Exactly. Just like that, you're doing such a good job. Such a good boy." _

It was his voice. Mira's voice. Even Oswald must've figured it out and if he was as horrified as Clara, he didn't show it. Pressing a finger to his lips, Oswald beckoned Clara towards the side of the hallway where a ventilation shaft existed.

"There should be another way to get in," He explained. "Can it….?"

"Oh yeah," Clara murmured, fumbling with the sonic before she pointed it at the screws on the ventilation doors. Soon enough, they were crawling their way through the darkness of the shaft before Oswald halted beside a burst of light from below them. "Here," He announced, eyes flickering below.

Clara didn't wait to surge forward to look below. But what she saw definitely made her stomach churn.

She could make out the Doctor and Mira, the only two in the room. It looked like a spacious bedroom, except that neither of them were sleeping. Mira was seated in one of the lavish chairs in the room, one hand running through the Doctor's hair while another was playing around with a series of syringes.

The Doctor. He was kneeing right next to chair on the floor with an expression of pure, unadulterated pain. His head was leaned up against the side of the other's leg as if he could barely keep himself upright from the sheer pain. Whimpers escaped him every so often as he shook, his eyes squeezed shut.

The sight of the Doctor in such a position made her stomach churn as she watched Mira murmur a comforting noise before injecting another syringe into the Doctor's bare neck. "That's it. We're almost done."

A long groan escaped the Doctor's lips as the needle was inserted as the Time Lord continued to shiver. "That wasn't so bad was it, pet?" Mira patted the Doctor's cheek, wiping away a bead of sweat away. "It's all done. Time to wake up soon, I suppose," He mused as he reached over for a tablet device and a…

A collar? Clara's eyes widened even further as the collar was slipped around the Doctor's neck, clicking as it locked around his neck. Almost the instant that the collar was on, the Doctor froze in his movements. No sound came from him, it was as if his pain had been completely been erased. Mira seemed to fiddle with the tablet for a little while longer and as he did so, the Doctor's eyes slowly opened.

Even from the distance, Clara could see the blankness in his eyes. They weren't alive with excitement and energy anymore. No, these were the eyes of a broken man. A broken soldier.

"Awake yet?" Mira questioned lightly, as he stood up from the chair, dropping the tablet onto the table. The Doctor slowly rose to his own feet, not even stumbling as he stood up. "Feeling better? The rest did you some good," Mira murmured approvingly.

The Doctor gave a small nod of his head. "One of the best," He answered back. If Clara didn't know any better, he sounded like his normal self. Except…except she could tell that he wasn't normal. Not with the way his eyes looked so expressionless and body more rigid. "Thank you," He added as an afterthought. The other let out a hearty laugh, waving his hand away. "Don't mention it. Only the best for my best pet, right?" The Doctor nodded in agreement. ""Besides, you'll have plenty of time to repay me later." A smile formed on Mira's face that was far from innocent. It didn't last long before he glanced at his watch and began to frown.

"Huh. Okay, I'm running late. Keep on with your duties, Doctor. Take it easy though, you deserve the rest. I'll be in a conference call so don't disturb me until I'm done."

"Yes sir," The Doctor gave a small bow as Mira left, the door sucking him through into the corridor.

Watching the whole scene play out was like a surreal horror story that Clara never wanted to see again. Seeing the Doctor in such a position, as a complete slave to the man, was horrifying. She wanted nothing more than to break the ventilation below her and rip off the collar from his neck. She was about to until Oswald placed a hand over top of her's.

"Wait. We can make a plan."

* * *

><p>There was a clanging sound that confused him as he started to read through the papers left behind for him. Except he couldn't figure out where the noise was coming from, even as he spread out his own mind across the perimeter. He couldn't hear anyone. It wasn't from someone; no one nearby anyways.<p>

A faulty pipe? He shrugged his shoulders, ignoring it as best as he could until it got louder. And then there was a sharp clang on the floor beneath his feet and he spun around; seeing the ventilation cage on the floor.

And a woman standing on top of it, staring straight at him. If he was confused as to how or why, he didn't show it apart from the slight eyebrow raise.

A woman with brown hair that always appeared in his dreams. And in his mind every so often. It was this woman but he couldn't for the life of him, remember who she was. What was even stranger was that he couldn't read her thoughts as she stood before him. She was completely blocked off from his influence, like a mystery.

An impossible mystery?

"You're not supposed to be here," He said flatly, deciding to keep things simple. He was half-tempted to tell the Miracle but the man was in an important conference call. He could deal with this himself. And besides, maybe he'll get some answers about the woman. And why she looked so familiar to him.

She gave a sad shake of her head. "No, you're not the one supposed to be here. Doctor-"She took a step forward, eyes seeking his. "Doctor, do you know who I am?" There was hesitation in her words as she spoke them, almost as if she was afraid of the answer.

He didn't want to say that she was familiar. Instead, he curled his lips up into something like a scowl before shaking his head. "No. Why? Is it important? Doubt it's important. You're not important." Except it was weird that he felt guilt striking his chest when he spat out the words. His guilt compounded even further at the look of hurt that crossed her eyes as he spoke them but he chose to ignore them. It didn't matter. No one mattered besides the Miracle.

She shook her head. "You don't mean that."

"I really do. Now answer the question."

"You never asked me a question."

"Yes I did," He lied before a frown crossed his face. This…this bantering was familiar. It felt so familiar, almost as if he had done it in the past. But when had this ever happened? He didn't even recognize the woman, much less remember her name. "Why are you here? You're not supposed to be here."

He let the silence hang in the room for a few moments longer before he blurted out. "Who are you?"

"I'm…," she seemed almost afraid to answer before she looked at him squarely in the eye. "I'm the one who decided to travel with you in your snogbox when you came up to my door. I'm the woman who died to save you in a thousand different lifetimes, over and over again. And then continue to travel with you even after you changed who you are. Even after you left me, I came back for you. I-" She paused for a moment, her lips open as if she had more to say but she stopped. Didn't say those words.

"That's rubbish," He spat out but somehow, he felt that he was lying. Why did he feel like he was lying to himself and that she was telling the truth? It was impossible but surely…somehow; it seemed as if whatever she was saying was making sense. There was something so familiar about the woman yet he felt as if he had never seen her before.

It didn't make any sense. "I _don't _know you." He insisted but even he knew that it was a losing battle. Her smile as he said those words was sad (How did that even work? How do two emotions appear on one's face at the same time?) , almost heartbreaking enough that he wanted to take back those words.

"You're going to. Please Doctor," She said at the instant he felt hands wrap around his neck; pulling against the collar. It caught him by surprise and he stumbled backwards, falling onto the floor in a heap with the boy that was fighting with the thing wrapped around his neck.

The Doctor didn't realize that there was another person in the room. He let out a yell in the struggle but it wasn't long before a click sounded in the room and the collar dropped onto the floor with a metallic clang.

Suddenly, a rush of thoughts and memories poured into his mind. It threatened to completely drown him and he was glad that he was on the ground because he wasn't sure if he could even hold himself upright. A low whimper escaped him as he felt the onslaughter of memories and thoughts weave their way back into his mind. It was throbbing –it wasn't just his memories and thoughts, but of everyone else's as well. Everyone's in the entire complex, their screams echoing into his mind. The pain was enormous, it felt as if his mind was about to explode from the sheer weight of the thoughts and voices.

There was one thread, a deep black thought that slowly threaded itself back into his thoughts. _Get rid of them. They're bad people. You need to kill them. Kill them. _

But as he blinked his bleary eyes back up to the two –it was a blur, was there something wet dripping down his eyes?-, he wouldn't even dare lift a finger to harm them. Because as the thoughts began to pour in, so did his real memories. The memories and thoughts that had been suppressed because of whatever had been wrapped around his neck to keep him under control.

As his eyes caught the woman's-_Clara's, it was Clara how could he forget Clara_-, she instantly sprang to his side, trying to stop him from falling back onto the ground. "Doctor! Doctor, are you okay –Oswald, what happened-"

"Not sure, I thought removing the collar would do the trick!" The boy's voice sounded even more frightened than usual. The Doctor let out a shaky groan, closing his eyes again despite Clara's harried tone as she tried to shake him away. The pain was making it difficult to focus…

_Just let go. Give in and the problem will be solved. _

The Doctor was half tempted to just give up. If it meant that the throbbing in his head would disappear, he was willing to do anything. But before he fell to temptation, he felt something wet drip down from above him and he noticed a sniffling noise.

"Please. I just found you, please don't go. Please don't go again. "

And that was it, wasn't it? The Doctor let out another groan before he made up his mind. He began to put up his mental defenses and ripping out the remaining black threads that were lodged within his mind. It was hazardously done, he could feel pieces of his mind being destroyed as he did it but he needed to get it down fast. He could live with the consequences of destroying pieces of his own head. Very soon, the suggestive whispers disappeared from his mind although the voices and thoughts of the other passengers on the ship still filtered through his head.

But that was alright for now. Blinking open his eyes again, he stared into the watery eyes of Clara who was still holding him. The Doctor made a grimace (he hated being held); pulling himself free from Clara slowly disentangled herself from him.

"Do you remember?" She sounded terrified. And he could feel his hearts bleed slowly at the sound, even more than the sound of the thoughts that threatened to pull him under. The sound of her fear made his will even stronger –using all of his strength to force him out of the tides of whispers.

And this time, he had something –someone- to focus on. And to protect. Pushing the whispers into the furthest corner of his mind, he staggered forwards towards Clara. She remained rigid, almost waiting for his next move.

Raising his arm, he poked her squarely in the nose, a weak smile crossing his features as she let out a squeak of surprise.

"How could I ever forget the first face this face saw?"

* * *

><p>Maybe it was the absolute joy in seeing the Doctor –her Doctor- act like himself again that made her leap forward and embrace him in a long hug. Of course, the Doctor let out a cry of protest as she did so, his hands flailing about in the air in front of him. "Not the –not the hugging!"<p>

"Oh shut up," Clara said, her arms wrapping around his sides tighter. She buried her face into the center of his chest, allowing the tears to get soaked up by his cotton shirt. "Shut up. It's your fault you ended up in this situation so let me have this one."

The Doctor continued to struggle but it was weaker now, and he gave a small, tentative pat on her back. "Are we playing the blame game now? Because I can justify by saying that it was your-"

"Shut up, Doctor."

He promptly shut up when she moved away, staring at him closely with narrowed eyes. "Are you…are you okay? Is he –whatever he did to you, gone now?" She felt her heart clench up when the Doctor gave her a silent look before he shook his head, visibly grimacing.

"I can still hear far too much for my liking. Every thought and feeling on this ship, really it feels like I'm working at your school again," He admitted, wincing every so often. It was hard to ignore them but he was getting better at tuning them out. Course, without the dark threads, it was easier to do so. "But the biggest influence is gone now. Hopefully gone for good but," He gazed warily at the dismantled collar on the floor. "Let's hope that's the only one."

"Doctor, what exactly is going on?" Clara asked, furrowing her brows carefully in concentration. "Okay, so we figured out he's been using real individuals as products. So he's like…what? A slave trader? And why did he take you?"

"Telepaths to be precise," The Doctor explained rapidly as his eyes scanned the room. Was there anything he could use? He eyed the tablet by the table and he lunged forward, flickering his hand across the surface of the screen. "Somehow, he gets a telepath under his thumb with whatever tools he has at his disposal. That's his product, that's his secret weapon. Gets to use them to read other people's thoughts, influence other people's behaviour…" His voice faltered for a moment as a few vivid memories flickered across his expression. Feelings of being under the Miracle's undivided attention, the whispered words that were spoken to him…

The thoughts made him shiver and he closed his eyes, setting aside the tablet back down on the table. He can pretend that it never happened. But it did. It was difficult enough to reel with his emotions (emotions that he tried to keep down for the sake of everybody's feelings) but to deal with his own guilt & disgust and ignore the voices.

Maybe Oswald picked up on his sudden paralysis because the robot bounded forward to grab the tablet in his own hands. "What is he using? I saw him using this collar earlier, it was activated by this. Whatever this tablet is connected to must be the power source."

Even as Oswald talked, Clara kept one eye trained on the Doctor. Her lips were downturned in an expression of worry as she watched him try and regain his bearings. Whatever Mira did to him…it seemed to affect him noticeably. It was one more reason why they needed to get away. And soon.

"We need to stop it," The Doctor rasped, taking a deep breath. "Find whatever the tablet is connected to. Destroy it. It should be able to destroy everything that he's using to control the telepaths." _And me_, even if he didn't say it out loud. But he didn't want to worry Clara. He could tell from her expression that he probably looked terrible in front of her eyes. But right now, there was no time to dawdle to worry. Even if he created mental blocks and tried to ignore the voices; his head was still pounding. And it would only get worse.

They had no time.

"Can you track it down?" The Doctor demanded, turning his head towards Oswald. "Find out where the main systems are. Check the tablet, should be some sort of map. Got it? We can take it with us, chop chop." He didn't wait for Oswald to finish scanning the tablet before he scrambled towards the door. But the Doctor could tell that the two were hot on his heels when they all emerged from the bedroom and back into the hallway.

"That…whatever you were using to bypass the telepaths, does it still work?" He questioned, turning to face Clara who had appeared right beside him. It almost seemed as if she was glued to him, but he wasn't opposed to the idea. She gave a nod of acknowledgement, flickering out a spare sonic. "This helps."

"We'll probably need it if we get closer to the power source. I can't imagine the Miracl-Mira," The Doctor hesitated, gritting his teeth at the slip. "I can't imagine him allowing the power source to go unguarded." This meant that they had even bigger obstacles to defeat even before he figured out how to shut the power down. With the threat of the other telepaths, finding the power source and avoiding Mira…it was going to be difficult. Worse with the fact that he couldn't think straight with his pounding head.

As Oswald led the way through the hallways, the Doctor tried to keep the thoughts at bay. He was able to build up greater mental shields as time progressed but there were still cracks where the whispers were entering through.

_Don't do this. You're going against The Miracle's wishes. If you continue…you're going to get them killed. You're going to get_** _her_ **_killed._

The Doctor squared his jaw as he ripped apart that thought within his mind. He just had to keep fighting the influences.

"We're here," Oswald announced, poking his head around the corner. "There's two of them stationed in front of the door. But I think there's another entrance through the vents." He pointed to the one above them and Clara had started to work on opening it. Perhaps the sound of the ventilations being open caught the attention of the two stationed guards because the Doctor could hear their agitation mounting louder and louder in his head. They were about to see for themselves where the noise was coming from before the Doctor pressed a finger to his own head. Slowly but surely, he wrestled himself through the haze of voices, finding the two minds that he was looking for.

Weaving a few choice suggestions into their minds (_must be nothing, the piping is broken in this area_), he let out an exhausted sigh when he felt their minds calm down. Good, that was good for now.

"Are you okay?" Clara asked suddenly and he turned upwards to see both her and Oswald waiting for him inside the ventilation. She must've caught his sigh and he gave an absent-minded shrug of his shoulders. "Gave the guards something else to think about. Let's keep going."

* * *

><p>The Doctor wasn't expecting this. The room with the power source looked like something out of a nightmare. He grimaced as the whispers grew more persistent the further he walked into the room so he hovered near the edges of the wall; staying as far away as he could from <em>that<em>.

It was like an engine room. But while the room had its array of machinery and wirings, there was one particular attachment to the main power system that looked as if it had come from the laboratory. A large tube was in the center of the room where a sickly-looking blob floated in the gel inside the tube.

"What is that…?" Clara questioned, a frown forming on her face as she moved closer to get a better look.

"Living telepathic creature that can form psychic links," The Doctor explained, gritting out the explanation slowly. "I think. Or it used to be. Now it's just nothing but a power source for that machine." He raised an arm, pointed out the wiring that connected the tube to another machine. Some sort of signalling communication device –that must be where the voices were coming from. The creature's influences could easily be amplified with the machine to bend others to its will.

Yet, it should be a constant influence. But for some reason, the voices in his head were becoming louder and louder. The knuckles of his hand nearly turned white from the force he was using to keep himself upright against the wall.

The cracks were becoming bigger in his defenses, he realized with horror. There was no time to react. In his mind, he could feel the surge of thoughts that broke through his remaining defenses. The last he saw before the darkness of the whispers overtook him –he could feel them wrapping around his entire body, trapping him- was a flicker of Clara's face as she turned towards him.

And then there was nothing but screaming (_from him?)_ as he was submerged in the tide of voices.

* * *

><p>She heard it before she saw it. A sudden thumping sound and she turned around wildly, seeing the Doctor fall to his knees. "Doctor-"<p>

"You really are troublesome, aren't you?" An exasperated sigh broke into her words. Mira appeared, rounding the corner of the room, flanked by two of his body guards. "You-how did you even get on her? Well, that'll be easy to figure out –oh," He frowned sharply as he glanced to one of his bodyguards. Probably another telepath, Clara thought.

"Seems like you have something that blocks the influence. Oh well, I'll get it out of you eventually." He seemed unbothered as he started for where the Doctor had collapsed, slumped over against the wall and breathing heavily. Mira leaned down, placing a hand against the side of the Doctor's face, patting it slowly. "Wake up pet," He murmured, almost in a sickly sweet tone of voice. "You tried to get away from me didn't you? That was a terrible decision on your part, I hope you don't try it again." When he glanced up to stare at the enraged expression on Clara's face, Mira let out a hearty chuckle.

"Good effort, I'd say. Getting rid of the collar was one thing, but you can't possibly think that was the only thing I was using? I know how powerful he is," He jerked a thumb over to the Doctor who was slowly beginning to rise to his feet, if albeit shakily. "It was a safety precaution. But I've been steadily feeding him with a decent supply of all sorts of implants. Right now, he's nothing more than my loyal puppet. Although I suppose the initial shock of the collar must've stopped the implants from working as well. But now you're all better, aren't you?"

"Yes sir," The Doctor's voice was quiet and it broke Clara's heart to hear it. It wasn't the snappy tone of the Doctor she was used to; the one that was so filled with confidence and wisdom. Now, it was…

Just broken. Quiet and soft, the Doctor seemed so small as he stood by the man's side.

"We'd probably need to get a new collar for you," Mira frowned, running a hand down the Time Lord's neck. "The effects of the implants are a bit too much. But do your best to handle this situation, will you? We'll get you back to normal when you're done."

"Done with what exactly?" Clara demanded to know, narrowing her eyes as she scanned the room. There was no way of escaping this situation. The Doctor –she would never leave him, not ever- was by the other's side meaning that her job wasn't done.

"Why, getting rid of the two of you of course!" Mira announced as he gave a gentle tap on the Doctor's shoulder, pushing him forwards to the pair. "Please see to it. Oh, and get rid of the girl first."

It was the first time since Mira had appeared that Clara could see the Doctor's eyes when he lifted his head up to face her.

No recognition, no warmth, not even a flicker of emotion. It was if whatever Mira was doing to the Doctor's mind turned him into a shell of his former self.

There was nothing.

* * *

><p>Clara took a step towards the Doctor. She was cautious of course, but how could she stay away when she could see the blankness of his face. The expressive owl-like stare, the scowls, the utter joy, it seemed to have completely vanished from his features. But he couldn't be gone, not like this. Surely they freed him once –it could happen again. "Doctor?" She tried. Mira let out an amused scoff. "Wow. You really are dumb aren't you? Go on Doctor; get rid of her for me."<p>

At Mira's command, the Time Lord started for Clara at a brisk pace. He was fast while he walked and Clara didn't even try to resist when the Doctor reached out to grasp her throat. But before the Doctor could wrap his hands around her neck, Oswald had appeared in between the two of them, kicking the Doctor away. "Run!" Oswald yelled towards Clara as the boy grabbed her hand before pulling her into the maze of machinery. Clara didn't have time to think as they ran, deeper into the core of the engine room.

"You can't run very far, you know." Clara heard Mira's exasperated voice from behind her. "You're not going to get away. Not here when I can activate every piece of merchandise on this ship. So run as much as you'd like, you're only delaying the inevitable."

"He's right," Oswald quickly said as he pulled her to duck under a section of the room. "We-we you don't have much time. This place is tiny; we can't possibly hide here forever." Footsteps grew closer and the boy scrunched up his eyes tightly. "This was-this was a terrible idea. I shouldn't have brought you here. I have no safety mechanisms anymore. I can't teleport out. We-we're trapped."

"No, don't blame yourself Oswald," Clara tried to reassure the robotic boy who seemed to have suddenly grown more anxious than ever before (can robots get anxious even?). But perhaps it was the fact that they were at a dead end that troubled the robot more than anything. She placed a reassuring hand on Oswald's shoulder. "Not everything is lost. There's a way, there's always one." If there was anything she learned... it was that you couldn't give up until the very end.

There still had to be a way to save themselves. And save the Doctor.

Clara was suddenly yanked to her feet and she let out a gasp of surprise. Hands closed around her neck in an iron grip and for a split second, her vision swam in her eyes as she was pulled up, her feet barely even touching the floor. She could see Oswald in the corner of her eyes leaping to his feet but he was quickly knocked away by the way side with a swift kick from the Doctor.

But her attention was completely focused on the Doctor. His eyes were cold, emotionless even, as he held her neck tightly in a death grip. If there was any trace of him left, she couldn't see it in his eyes. And the realization that he was gone sent a pang through her chest; a feeling of utter hopelessness and despair stabbing itself deep into her chest.

Doctor…

It was getting harder to breath even as she tried to struggle in his grips. She was feeling a bit light-headed and she could feel a numbing feeling slowly crawl its way up from her body. Maybe it was over, she thought to herself as she stared at the Doctor's face. But at the very least, she got to see him for the very last time. That must mean something, shouldn't it?

She hoped.

"Run…you clever boy…"

And just like that, she could breathe again. His hands had instantly loosened allowing her to take a grateful breath of much needed oxygen. The Doctor (was he still in there?) dropped her on solid ground before staggering backwards, his hands clawing at the sides of his head.

"Get out, get out, get out…," He mumbled like a mantra, a look of pain flashing across his face. It looked like he was at war with himself with the way he was pulling at the sides of his hair and the bloodshot eyes that were bulging out. There were tears threatening to leak out from the sides of his eyes as he slammed himself against the wall, pressing his head against the cool metal. Closing his eyes, ragged gasps escaped the Doctor's mouth.

"I'd rather die than hurt her again." Clara caught the words he said under his breath and how could she stand and watch him struggle? Struggle against the very thing he swore never to do again. She couldn't imagine a Doctor who would willingly harm another individual.

But didn't he leave you to make a terrible decision?, a voice echoed into Clara's mind before she shook it away. And the way he acted to those who had died, it had shocked her plain and simple. She had thought that the Doctor was no longer the Doctor she knew.

But he was.

And that was it, wasn't it? All that time, in every moment she's glimpsed of him after he's changed, he never tried to make any death unnecessarily. Even with his callus and cold remarks, he never meant to hurt. There was always a greater good that he strived to accomplish and he willingly shouldered the burdens of the decisions he was forced to make. The decisions that would haunt him for eternity but that didn't mean he was a bad person.

He always tried to be good. And isn't that what mattered?

She took a step forward even as he snapped open his eyes, watching her warily. "No…please, stay away," He rasped, his voice weak with effort. For a moment, Clara faltered before she made up her mind and continued walking towards the Doctor, reaching out to hold onto his hands. The closer she got, she could see how much he was affected. Sweat ran down the side of his head as his breath grew increasingly shaking.

But Clara was determined. She raised his hands, pressing them against the temples of her own head and gave him a reassuring smile. He opened his mouth to protest but she quickly cut him off.

"Please…let me help."

She didn't know what it would be like but she didn't expect a tidal wave of voices to wash over her. It was like a cacophony of screams that rushed into every corner of her mind and she was completely thrown out of her depths. The screams echoed in every corner of her mind, screams pleading for help, for someone to save them, for death…

Everything. It was heartbreaking and she wanted to scream and join along with them. But she was frozen, rooted in place like everybody else. A whimper escaped her as she squeezed her eyes tightly, trying to focus on what the Doctor was showing her. Amidst the voices, she could find one in particular. Perhaps it was because her life was intricately tied with the Doctor's which made it easy to seek his out. His mind, his thoughts were huddled in one corner of the array of screams. Except unlike the other minds in her head, he was…weeping.

For a moment, it reminded her of the stifled sobs she heard from the barn. She didn't even have to think before she moved. Sweeping forward with her own mind –still reeling from the effects of everybody else's', she tried to wrap herself around the Doctor's in a protective embrace.

_I am here. And I won't leave you. _

* * *

><p>He remembered, barely the feeling of Clara holding his hands and pressing them against her own head. The Doctor wanted to protest –no no no I can't let you deal with this this is all mine- but just the thought of gaining some sort of relief won over any of his other thoughts. Grudgingly, he had channeled pieces of his own mind, completely in shambles, into her own head and hoped that it didn't break her.<p>

But of course, how could it break Clara? Clara, the woman who kept managing to squeeze her way into every aspect of his memory and keep him sane. Kept bringing him back from the brink of darkness. She was the impossible girl, the person who was seemed to know just exactly what he needed.

Always.

There was a warmth that spread through his entire body as he felt Clara's mind wrap around his. His was broken, he hadn't been careful about ripping out the black threads so it was easy to see the cracks in his mind. Yet, she had flitted through each and every one of them, filling them with her love and compassion. And her care had echoed through his entire mind, like a healing embrace. Slowly but surely, every dark thread had dissipated from his mind and he could feel the screams quiet down in his head.

It wasn't silent, by far. But it was peaceful.

He slowly removed his hands from Clara's head and was quick to catch her as she almost stumbled over her feet. "Hey hey," He murmured reassuring, holding onto her carefully. She seemed ready to tip over. Guiltily, he realized it was probably the strain of trying to shield his mind from everything else. No matter what he did, he seemed to always make her sacrifice something. It wasn't fair not by any means and he vowed, silently, to set it right.

"You're okay, I'm okay. For now anyways," He said quickly to reassure Clara. He held onto her tightly until it looked like she was okay to stand before he glanced to where Oswald was walking over. With a firm nod to the robot, he glanced in the direction of where Mira was waiting.

There weren't going to get out of here alive if they didn't get rid of Mira and his mind readers. And after Clara had basically just risked her life to save him (what in the heavens possessed her to take some of the screams into her head was beyond him), it was only fair to return the favor.

He promised he would protect Clara. And he wasn't making good on that promise of his. But now, the Doctor gripped Clara's shoulder even tightly, he will.

"Time to end this."

* * *

><p>"So how come they're not dead yet?" Mira called, a frown crossing his expression as he watched the Doctor saunter towards him with both Clara and Oswald in tow. The man took a quick look across the Doctor's expression –livid with anger- and let out an exhausted sigh. "Not again! Alright, looks like we're going to have to try a new formula. Really, you are remarkable, Doctor. No one has ever been freed like you have. It's a great learning experience actually, teaches me that there's still a lot to perfect."<p>

"No one will ever have to be freed from you. This ends now," The Doctor gritted out, eyes boring straight into the other's. There was fire and ice glinting in his eyes. The anger boiled underneath the surface of his skin.

"And what will you do to stop me? I've got my army of Mind Readers headed here to finish your two colleagues off. And you're still on my ship so no use trying to call for help," Mira pointed out as a matter-of-factly.

And the Doctor stared to laugh. He laughed for a long time and for a moment, Clara looked as if she was worried that he was going to die from it. Even Mira seem confused, but the man was getting increasingly more patient. "So….are you trying to defeat me with laughter? Funny stuff, the implants really did do a number on your psyche."

"The implants," The Doctor smiled.

Confusion crossed Mira's face. "What?"

"The mistake you made was injecting me with so many of your implants." Mira looked confused for a moment as he shook his head. "I'm…quite sorry, I don't follow?"

"It means that it'll be easier…to get inside your own head." With that, the Doctor made his presence known within the lingering corners of Mira's mind –it was always out from the voices, far away from where the worst of the damages- and made it his prime target. He could tell that the man didn't expect it as a loud scream came from Mira from the intrusion.

"A door that is opened…can be entered both ways," The Doctor hissed out as he pressed his mind forward. Despite Mira's cries, he persisted forwards, breaking through the defenses in the other's mind with a will stronger than ever before. The black threads, he weaved around the other's mind almost like a prison, a barricade to prevent Mira from ever escaping. There will be nothing left of the man once the Doctor was through with it. The man was babbling, begging for his life as he curled up against the door.

But the Doctor remained indifferent to the pleas as he watched the color drain from Mira's face.

"I don't give second chances. Not to monsters like you."

It wasn't long before the man fell silent, slipping into unconscious from the sheer force of the mental blockade created by the Doctor.

"It's over," Clara breathed out, watching the man lying on the ground as he fell silent. They could go home.

"Not quite," The Doctor turned on his heels, starting for the main tube in the middle of the room. "We got to get rid of this somehow. This is what he's using to control all of the Mind Readers. We can't leave until we free everybody on this ship." He began rummaging through all of the wires scattered across the floor, trying to figure out which ones were connected. Oswald sprinted over, rushing to help the Doctor in his search.

A sudden loud banging came from the outside of the engine room and all three froze, staring at the door. A few more loud bangs sounded and the Doctor slowly rose, starting for the entrance. "It's…the Mind Readers," The Doctor closed his eyes, pressing his hand against the frame of the door. "Last directive is still in their heads," He explained slowly, turning to both Oswald and Clara with a flicker of panic across his eyes. "They're still instructed to kill you. " A string of curses escaped him as he began to pace across the floor in front of the door. The banging continued and Clara looked carefully at the doorway.

"Can they get in?" She asked cautiously. It seemed to hold for some reason…

"Well, there are about a good fifty or sixty of them. I can't count, they're all," The Doctor waved his hand around his head. "All in here. I can still hear them; they're still instructed to obey. And so if they've been told to, they will."

"Can you take care of them?" Oswald piped up, glancing back at the Doctor from amidst the wires.

"Yes. I can hold them back for a bit if I set up a wall. Freeze them into place," The Doctor replied. Oswald nodded as he held up the wires, "If you can buy me some time, I can disable this easily." The robot looked as if he was almost drowning in the wires with the many he was holding in his hands. The Doctor turned to appraise Oswald carefully and for a moment, there was a silent look passing between the two that Clara couldn't understand.

"Understood," The Doctor replied curtly before he closed his eyes, a look of intense concentration passing through his expression. Within seconds, the banging grew silent from the other side.

* * *

><p>Amongst the wires, Clara carefully moved to Oswald's side, crouching by the robot's side. "You can disable this? How?" Oswald ignored her as he continued looking at the wires in his hands. There was a focused expression on the robot's face for a moment.<p>

And then Oswald began to stick the wires onto his own arms.

"What are you doing?" Clara's let out a surprised cry as she watched the robot slowly assemble bits and pieces on his own body. Some he broke apart before attaching them and others, he stuck onto sockets that slowly emerged on his person. Clara watched in horror and she was about to grab the remaining wires from his hands and demand what was going on before Oswald spoke.

"The signalling device is connected to that telepathic creature. Or what used to be one anyways," He explained. "I'm rerouting it, turning myself into the vehicle. I don't have any telepathic activity and I'm probably not compatible. With any luck, I can send the device into overdrive and shut it down."

Somehow in the back of Clara's mind, she wondered if the Doctor knew this is what Oswald was going to do. "You're going to die if you do this, aren't you?"

"I'm a robot, Clara. I was never alive."

"But you were real enough," Clara replied back quietly and Oswald lifted his head to give her a small tilt of his head. He looked almost embarrassed for a second before he ducked his head down. "I was programmed well."

"Isn't there something I can do? You may be a robot but that doesn't mean you should t sacrifice-"

"What can you do, Clara? Attach wires onto yourself? Throw you into the tube to replace the psychic creature?" He paused. It was the harshest thing she ever heard from Oswald as the boy looked back down onto the floor. "I apologize. But right now, this is the only option. I'm the only thing right now in this room that can handle it."

"You don't have to do this, Oswald," Clara pleaded, grasping onto the robot's hand tightly. "There has to be another way." But what other option were there? They were running out of time and it wasn't long before the rest of the Mind Readers were going to close in on them. The Doctor –he was-, Clara looked back at him. His face was in an expression of intense concentration as he was in the middle of a mental tug of war. It wouldn't be long before he cracked if they didn't move fast enough. He couldn't stop them from entering forever.

But if they continued with their plan…that would mean Oswald would die. How could she let that happen?

Oswald ignored her, brushing her hand away to continue attaching the wires onto various parts on his body. It wasn't until he was about to attach the last cord that Clara reached out to grab it tightly and not let go.

His eyes flashed sharply to Clara. "There is no other way, Clara. As much as you'd like there to be one, sometimes there aren't any good choices."

_Sometimes there are only bad choices. But you still have to choose. _

Ironic how the same words she found reassuring from the Doctor made her feel even worse. She could feel her cheeks beginning to grow damp. Oswald must have picked up on that because in the next second, he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't be sad," Oswald said as he reached forward to take back the last wire. "I'm doing this because I think it's important. Because if he is not stopped, he's going to destroy everything and bend the whole universe to his will. I was designed to help. So I am unable to stand around and do nothing."

He paused before giving a small nod, turning his head towards the Time Lord who was pressed up against the door. "When this is over, you should go to him." _The Doctor._ "He needs you now more than ever."

Clara glanced back at the Doctor. She had seen his mind. Even if he said he was okay, she had seen the damage to his mind. He wasn't the same, not after what Mira had done to him. Turning back to Oswald, who had finished wiring himself up, she gave the robot a mournful expression. "I'm…I'm sorry I can't do anything for you right now, not after you've done so much for me-for us. You didn't even have to but you…did. I'm grateful for everything you've done, Oswald. I will always be."

"That's alright." He reassured her. "I helped but…you were the one who was determined to help. I only followed your lead." He paused for a moment before shooting her a cheeky grin. "If there's anything you can do now well, please remember me from time to time, will you?" Oswald connected the wires.

"Good-bye Clara."

A blast of energy exploded from his core, the electricity spiking throughout the wires of the system. It didn't take long for the rest of the system to combust and explode; the device absolutely decimated in a matter of seconds.

When the smoke cleared, there was nothing but a bunch of charred equipment. The Controller was non-functional, it spluttered for a few more seconds before shutting down completely. Numbly, Clara stared at the damages before a rolling sound caused her to look down towards the floor. A dull, blackened ball slowly came down to a halt beside her feet and she crouched down, her hand gingerly touching its shell.

It was over. But it didn't feel like a victory.

"Clara…" A soft voice caught her attention as she turned her head to see the Doctor who had collapsed onto the floor. The neuro-implants must have been deactivated once the Controller was destroyed, his eyes held more…life to them now, even if he looked completely exhausted. The sight of him completely battered and shattered was the only reason why she picked herself up from the floor to head towards him.

"It's over," Clara murmured quietly as she bent down, wrapping her arms tightly around the Doctor. It didn't matter if he hated physical contact; she just needed to know that he was okay. Or maybe he was still weak from whatever Mira did to him because he leaned into her embrace, slowly raising his own arms to bring her even closer to his body.

It was over.

* * *

><p>Sometimes, the end was never really the end.<p>

The Doctor had figured out a way to navigate the cargo ship back to Maxethia where a hoard of authorities was ready to take over the situation. It was a good thing that they were there, given the countless number of telepathic aliens that had suddenly been freed from their neuro-implants. They would need to figure out how to go back home –if they could ever return.

They were survivors, Clara realized as one of the aliens gratefully shook her hand at the same time a wave of gratitude came crashing into her mind, they were going to beat the odds and survive. That's who they were.

Mira didn't get off lightly. Whatever the Doctor did to him (Clara didn't bother to ask him), it did a number on the man. He was babbling incoherently when he was brought back to consciousness and his eyes were bulging out in absolute fear. Whatever nightmare the Doctor induced into his mind well, Clara didn't feel an ounce of pity for the man. The authorities had taken the man away to one of their prisons, promising that justice would be served to the Doctor and Clara.

Not that there was any need for it. The Doctor's brand of justice was evident from the husk of the man.

They stayed until the very end of the Expo when there was a pleasant surprise promised to them. Clara couldn't help but smile sadly, a sharp pang digging into her chest as the winner of the decade's best aid was announced. Perhaps others would have thought that the Mind Readers would clearly take the top prize but…

In the winning column, the blackened shell of Oswald rested. A small medal was tacked onto the robot with a short engraving.

_"Rewarded for going beyond what was required to help. A creation that will forever be praised for the determination and valor it showed when it was needed." _

When Clara had met with the developer of the Mimic Balls, funny how she didn't even know the name of the product until the end, even he seemed confused as to how it was possible for Oswald to do the things he did. Most of the other Mimic Balls, he had explained, were good at what they did but would shut down at the mention of leaving the assigned location. How Oswald was able to go with her into the TARDIS well…

"Programming can get a bit loopy sometimes," He explained, "Sometimes codes might jumble up and the actual directives of the bot changes. Or maybe Oswald really was more than the other ones, much more alive. Perhaps it was thanks to your influence that made him different." His eyes softened as he gave a reassuring pat on her shoulder. "We'll never know. But for what it's worth, I think he was one of a kind. He will be missed."

* * *

><p>"Well that was one hell of a trip," The Doctor announced as he bounded back onto the TARDIS once the closing ceremonies had finished. He was actively jumping around the place looking far like his former self than ever before. Of course, he would've looked exactly like himself if it weren't for the red scars around his neck and the bandages that covered up the numerous needle wounds around his neck. "Where to next?" He said, already pulling down the lever on the TARDIS.<p>

Clara clung onto the railings tightly, letting out a surprised yell as the TARDIS began to take off. "Doctor! Hold on –aren't you rushing things a bit too fast?" Her eyes looked at him cautiously as the Time Lord gave a small shrug of his shoulders.

"Yes well, mind things. These things happen, it's unlucky that telepaths are sometimes targeted for their abilities. Hopefully the Shadow Proclamation or whatever galactic police force will be much more stringent with that section of the rules."

"Why don't we take a break for now?" Clara said, breaking into his ramblings. "I don't know about you but some rest sound good. You can…recharge too." She wasn't sure how long it had been since the Doctor had been with Mira –but it definitely seemed longer than a day. Perhaps the TARDIS hadn't been too accurate with landing them where the Doctor was situated.

Clearly, he had been with the monster for too long. (Long enough for the red marks to scar around his neck after all)

From the corner of her eyes, she could see the Doctor's knuckles turn white from gripping the TARDIS lever tightly. He seemed almost as if he was fighting against his thoughts before he let out a defeated sigh and pulled it back up. "Fine," He said as he stepped away from the console. "Have it your way. We'll take a short break. You should do whatever…things you do when you're here. I'm going to check out the engines and hope that it hadn't been too badly damaged when you were driving her."

Before Clara could utter a word of protest, he had vanished deep down into the matrix of the TARDIS. What could she do? It seemed as if the Doctor just wanted to distract himself with his toys and she probably shouldn't get in his way. Maybe it was just his way of coping, she mused as she started down one corridor of the TARDIS. Maybe just working will take his mind off of it.

She didn't know how wrong she could be until it was too late.

* * *

><p>Clara woke up with the sound of the TARDIS rumbling and she let out a small groan, rolling herself off of the bed. "What is it?" She called out, looking at the walls of her room. The rumbling continued and she sighed, wrapping her robes tighter around her before shuffling out of the door.<p>

She had left the Doctor earlier to take a shower and catch a bit of rest. The last day –was it just a single day?- had caught up to her. She had fallen asleep promptly once she found her room in the TARDIS but it didn't seem as if much time has passed til she was rudely awakened.

It almost sounded like the TARDIS was taking off which concerned her just a bit. Who knows what the Doctor was getting up to; she doubted that he had went to bed. Probably still tinkering with the TARDIS which was probably where the rumbling sound was coming from.

Except, what greeted her when she popped back into the main room made her freeze in dread. There was the Doctor, hunched over against the console with his hands stuck deep into the telepathic circuits. He seemed barely put together as he was watching the screen.

Image after image. Some were of screaming voices, a blood curdling screeches of help that seemed to echo from the screen. And at other times, there were flashes of images of Mira and other individuals. Business investors? Clara couldn't tell and she frankly didn't care. Her eyes were completely fixated on the Doctor.

His eyes were glazed over, staring at the screen as if he was transfixed in fear. His brows were furrowed in a mixture of pain and it seemed as if he was trying to dig his hands even deeper into the TARDIS. It took one more look at his pained expression before Clara marched over quickly, tugging the Doctor's hands away from the telepathic circuit. That did it, the screen fizzled out into blackness.

The Doctor blinked, once, then twice as if he had just awoken. "I-" He started, before his gaze flitted to where Clara was standing, holding onto his hands. "I-sorry. I wanted to see, something….see what happened when I was with him. Track down whoever he worked with," He tried to explain.

"How long were you…with him? Do you remember?" Clara voiced out quietly, placing a tender hand on the Doctor's shoulder as she tried to lead him away from the console and into a chair. He didn't protest at all, allowing himself to be lead into an empty seat.

"Long enough," He replied back vaguely with a small sigh. "But my memory's hazy so I don't know what happened. I see glimpses of what happened every once in a while but they're just images. When we were on that ship," He gestured to his head. "I was fighting back. I ended up tearing out what he was doing to my mind. But it didn't come without a cost; I did a rubbish job of it. There's still pieces of my mind that's missing now."

Clara looked at the Doctor sympathetically. She couldn't even begin to imagine what happened. Even when she had been connected with the Doctor's mind, she had felt only the voices and the screams of all of the other telepaths inside her head. But there must've been more to the mind control that Mira did that made it even worse to be in the Doctor's mind.

Even when the Doctor was in pain, he kept trying to protect her from the worst of it. "Maybe we should get some tea. Tea and talk?" She offered quietly, nodding towards the direction of the kitchen.

It took a while for him to respond before the Doctor nodded ever so slightly. "Okay. But let's have hot chocolate instead."

* * *

><p>Clara was busy mixing the cocoa as the Doctor sat on one of the empty chairs. It was funny how little you appreciated something until you've been away for a long period of time. He had rarely come to the kitchen but right now, with the smell of chocolate wafting in the air it felt like home.<p>

He hadn't been away for that long, he didn't think. But somehow, it felt like he had been separated from the TARDIS for ages. It could've been ages for all he knew, his mind flashing back to snapshots of memories of waking up. Time was always in motion and for all he knew, he could've been with Mira for ages until Clara showed up.

When Clara pushed one cup towards him and took a seat right next to him, he started to speak.

"I wanted it to be over. To not be the Doctor at some point."

"How could you not?" Clara replied back, murmuring quietly against him. Her hand had instantly reached up to the Doctor's shoulder, trying to stroke it reassuring. Perhaps it was just the right thing to do because he continued to speak.

"He…made me want to serve him. Showed me the destruction I caused and that it was just so much easier to just surrender myself to him. That way I wouldn't hurt anyone ever again." That was a complete lie. He was certain that he hurt more individuals –more Mind Readers- by acting as Mira's personal telepathic communicator. But at that time, it just seemed so easy to let somebody else take control. It wasn't his problem anymore. No more tough decisions, no more having the fate of the universe rest in the palm of his hands…

Yet it was sickening to think how easily he surrendered to those thoughts. He didn't want to think how easily he had been swayed. If Clara hadn't found him –he would have just…

He couldn't even begin to comprehend the chaos that would have unfolded.

"But it wasn't your fault," Clara insisted, shaking her head. "You never wanted this. You would never have agreed to this if you weren't implanted yourself –please don't blame yourself." The Doctor was silent on the other end. He wanted to believe her. He really did. Or maybe he wanted to but right now…it was next to impossible.

A small sigh escaped the Doctor's lips. "I could hear everything. Hear everyone's suffering and hear pain. So much. I couldn't do anything. And I couldn't even remember it once I was gone. When I couldn't focus on anything but the task at hand. I couldn't even-" He paused for a moment before breathing out, "I couldn't find you. I could hear you but I couldn't remember you."

"I found you. I'm here now. Promise. Forever."

For a moment, he lifted his head to meet Clara's eyes. Searching them, trying to find the truth within them. For a moment, it seemed as if he was going to lean forward towards her, his eyes darting down to look at her lips.

But he didn't. Not now, when his mind felt completely bare and raw. It was so confusing to think about what was his mind and what wasn't, what was his feelings and what wasn't. Melding his mind with so many different individuals and Clara's had…completely ruined his sense of self. Maybe one day, he'll be okay. One day, he'll tell her what she meant to him and tell her how she kept returning back to his mind even when he was under Mira's influence. But not today.

He blinked away, eyes darting away to the side of the room. "Where do we go from here?" The Doctor murmured quietly. Clara smiled reassuring, reaching out to grasp his hand tightly. He tensed up from the action before a murmur of calm reassurance allowed him to relax into it.

"Hold hands," Clara whispered quietly, leaning close to the Doctor. "Hold hands and don't let go."

There was silence for a moment before a shaky breath left the Doctor as he held onto her hand, squeezing it. "Alright. We can do that."

_Sometimes the end was never really the end. Sometimes endings aren't clean. And sometimes you can't close off a ending with a cheerful red box with a lovely bow on the top of it. Endings could be messy with a haze of tangled strings like the broken marionette dropped onto the floor. _

_Even so, there was a place to start. To start untangling the strings and wires and piece together the broken toy. Slowly but surely, anything was possible. _

_Endings could be the beginning of something new._


End file.
